


and they called it puppy love

by betelgeuse



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-14
Updated: 2014-05-14
Packaged: 2018-01-24 16:56:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1612475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betelgeuse/pseuds/betelgeuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or the one where Steve and Bucky get a dog.</p><p>(Each chapter will be a one-shot in this verse, mostly fluffy and cute and Stucky being adorable.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	and they called it puppy love

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter got a bit angsty. Set about an year after CA:TWS, Bucky lives with Steve. Not established relationship.

It’s tiny. It’s tiny and black and when Steve picks it up, it wags its tail so hard that its whole body jerks with the force.

“That’s one ugly mutt.” Bucky mutters.

Steve shoots him a chastising look. Bucky rolls his eyes.

“It’s injured, Bucky. We can’t just leave it here.” Bucky doesn’t bother saying that they _most definitely can_ because Steve’s voice has got that tone of pathetic that Bucky can’t say ‘no’ to. He sighs and asks Steve if he knows where the nearest animal clinic is.

* * *

 

It’s missing a good part of it fur. _She’s_ missing a good part of _her_ fur. There’s teeth mark and scratches all over her and left hind leg is mangled. (The doctor says she was probably left for dead in the dumpster and stray cats attacked her.) She also has infection on her skin. It’s a miracle she’s alive at all because it’s bitterly cold outside and if nothing else did, the hypothermia would’ve did her in.

Even then, she nuzzles into Steve arm and licks at his jacket when Steve rubs behind her ear. Bucky’s pretty sure she would’ve wagged her tail too if it wasn’t trapped under Captain America’s bulging bicep and he’s not sure if dog’s smile but it-she was doing a damn great approximation of it. Bucky tries not to compare her to Steve was after the little punk had had another run-in with a bully, bleeding and hurt but still grinning like a loon. _I had them on the ropes, Buck._

They take her away as soon as they reach the hospital, swathing her in towels. They ask questions that they don’t know how to answer so they repeat we found her in an alley when we went out for a walk. They get suspicious looks until Steve brings out his Captain America charm and they are allowed to sit in the waiting room.

When they are seated, Steve turns on him with bug, blue eyes and this is what Bucky was afraid of as soon as he saw Steve pick up the mutt.

_Can we keep her?_

_No._

Steve’s face falls, and Bucky wants to take back what he said but Bucky knows it would be worse if Bucky let him get attached. Bucky remembers how heartbroken when the stray Steve had fed scraps to had been run over. He’d moped for days, and Bucky doesn’t want to go through that again.

* * *

 

It takes about an hour but they are finally ushered into another room where the little pup is curled up on a cot.

She looks even tinier now that the vet was done treating her. Parts of her fur have been shaved off to clean her infections. There’s bandage all over her tiny body, and the doctor wraps her in a warm towel because without her fur, she has no way to conserve body heat. She lets out a small yip when she sees them and tries valiantly to wag her tail but the exhaustion and the painkillers have taken their toll and she falls asleep before the doctor has finished giving them the run-down on her.

The doctor is a blond waif and she’s obviously in love with her job. She rubs behind the pup’s ears while she talks animatedly about how good she was throughout the time, not struggling even when they cleaned her wounds. She says the infection will go away if the medication in applied regularly and the wounds should heal nicely too. The blood work would come back in a few days and then they can confirm that she doesn’t have any diseases. The doctor says the wounded leg may be irreparably damaged and she’ll probably walk with a limp all her life. _Poor little thing_ , she says.

It’s Steve who talks to her while Bucky stays behind, closer to the sleeping pup. He runs one finger over her tiny head, the soft fur tickling him. Now that she’s not covered in grime, Bucky realises that she’s not, in fact, ugly. Her face is chubby in the way only puppies are chubby and she has a cute button nose. There’s some white around her mouth and nose, lending a softness to the little face. If pressed, Bucky would even go as far as to call her _cute_. And she’s so _small_ , she could fit on Bucky’s palm if she was sitting up. Bucky feels the oddest urge to cradle her tiny body to his chest.

He tunes back into the conversation when he hears Steve make distressed noises. Apparently, the adoption rates of dogs with disabilities are dismal at best and she’ll most likely put down if no one shows interest in her. Steve has his ‘Captain America is disappointed’ face on which Bucky would make a crack about if didn’t feels a frown grow on his own face too.

People want healthy pups they can play with, not handicapped ones. That’s just how it is, she says, not unkindly. _Are you sure you don’t want to adopt her? ,_ her eyes ask. _  
_

Bucky looks back at the resting puppy and her bandaged body and tiny little face and he gives in to urge to cradle her closer. She doesn’t move, conked out as she is from the effect of the painkillers given to her. It isn’t a stretch of imagination to see her dead –bloodied like the ones the Soldier killed- and a small sound escapes Bucky’s throat.

“Bucky?” Steve grips his arm, “Bucky, you okay?”

“She doesn’t deserve to die.”

“I know, bud, I know. But-“

“Let’s adopt her.”

And that’s how this story starts.

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'd. Apologies for any mistakes.  
> Come talk to me on my [tumblr](http://www.castielwinchester.tk)! Also, here's my [marvel sideblog](http://stevucks.tumblr.com). It is 90% Seb Stan's face but don't judge me okay?


End file.
